Food: Senior year internship, you take over the university cafeteria

"Phew! Let's go! Prepare the ingredients!"

The next day, at four in the morning.

The chill of winter is beginning to set in.

No normal person wants to get out of bed.

But for the sake of my classmates' enjoyment of food and my own future wealth.

Wang Sheng still gets up on time as usual.

He reappeared at the Xiaguan wholesale market, riding his tricycle.

His goal for today is clear.

Top-grade black pork (used for meatloaf soup and minced meat sauce for rice noodles), fresh pork fat, and various toppings for rice noodles.

[Eye of Ingredients] silently activates, scanning over each stall.

In the pork section, he quickly spotted his target—a piece of pork foreleg with a beautiful marbling and a good balance of fat and lean meat, rated as "superior." The meat was tender and the fat was evenly distributed, making it an excellent choice for meat patties and minced meat sauce.

Next up is pork fat.

He specifically selected thick, white, and firm fresh lard, rating it as "good".

This is the key to refining the soul of rice noodle soup: lard.

Then comes the side dish.

The dried radish should be sweet and crunchy, the peanuts should be plump, the small red chilies should be bright red and spicy, the dried chili powder should be fragrant, the garlic cloves should be plump, the ginger should be mature, and the scallions should be fresh and crisp...

Each ingredient reveals its quality under the scrutiny of food.

Finally, he made a special detour to the soy products section and bought two pieces of firm, fragrant old tofu.

This is another little trick he's prepared for the "Innovation" side quest.

The old lady selling tofu sat there, squinting her eyes, and looked at Wang Sheng with a hint of curiosity, asking:

"Young man, where do you run a restaurant? Are you buying ingredients for your dad? Putting everything else aside, my hand-ground tofu is absolutely delicious!"

Wang Sheng responded to this question with a frank and hearty laugh:

"I don't own a restaurant! This is a school cafeteria window stall. My dad isn't the cook! I am the cook!"

The old lady was clearly taken aback.

Clearly, no one expected that this young man would be running a cafeteria window at the school.

He's a cook!

Then, however, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Doing business is tough! You only earn hard-earned money."

indeed.

Especially breakfast.

I got up early and I'm very tired.

Wang Sheng nodded in agreement and bought another piece of tofu.

We have just returned with a full load.

Back at window 07, Wang Sheng tied on his apron and began the most ritualistic preparation work of the day.

"Click!"

Wang Sheng thought for a moment, then suddenly took out his phone and took a picture of the ingredients he had prepared for the day.

It was posted on the school forum.

"Today's ingredients are ready!"

"Stay tuned!"

"?"

Wang Sheng didn't expect that someone would reply as soon as he posted it.

ID Cultivator: "Senior Wang, you're working so hard! I stayed up all night and was just about to go to sleep! Since that's the case, I'm not going to sleep! I'll come support you once you're done!"

One has two.

Before long, more than a dozen students who had spent the night cultivating immortality commented.

There are also cultivators from Xijiang Province.

Looking at the pork fat, my mouth watered.

"Lard, my lard! I want to eat pork crackling noodles! Hehehe!"

Looking at these people's comments.

Wang Sheng smiled and then stopped reading.

Begin refining soul lard.

Wash the pork fat thoroughly and cut it into even small pieces. Place it in a pot of cold water with a little cooking wine and ginger slices. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and then remove and drain. This step is crucial for removing the gamey smell and enhancing the flavor.

Heat a clean wok over low heat. Add the drained pieces of lard to the wok and stir-fry slowly.

Soon, transparent grease began to seep out, the lard gradually shrank, and its color turned golden and slightly charred.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

Simmering over low heat, the aroma gradually intensifies. Wang Sheng, holding a spatula, patiently and gently pushes the lard, ensuring each piece is heated evenly.

He recalled that the traditional method of mixing rice flour with pork cracklings to render lard was a key technique passed down through generations.

Rendering lard is all about controlling the heat. Too high a heat and it burns easily, turning the oil black and giving it a bitter taste; too low a heat and the oil renders slowly and lacks aroma.

It is essential to maintain this gentle, bubbling heat.

As time went on, the pieces of lard grew smaller and smaller, curling up into golden and crispy cracklings. The clear, slightly yellow lard in the pot increased, and the aroma reached its peak.

It was a rich, warm, and meaty aroma, with no fishy or gamey smell, only an enticing fragrance.

Wang Sheng used a slotted spoon to scoop out the oil residue, drained the oil, sprinkled it with a little fine salt and chili powder, and set it aside. This is a byproduct of oil refining; it's fragrant, crispy, and delicious, whether eaten on its own or mixed with rice or noodles.

He poured the rendered lard into a clean stainless steel basin and let it cool and solidify naturally.

It is as white as jade, with a delicate texture, and the unique aroma of lard permeates the entire work area.

Prepare the pork cracklings.

So, the secret-recipe complex sauce for the mixed noodles, the side dishes and minced meat, and the perfect accompaniment, meatball soup...

When making meatloaf soup.

The system displayed a panel showing the proficiency of self-learning skills.

The skill level for making clay pot soup has increased.

30|100

……

At 5:30 a.m. sharp, Wang Sheng picked up 20 jin of fresh wet rice noodles from Old Li in the corner of the market.

The rice flour is off-white in color, uniform in thickness, and has a faint aroma of rice.

He boiled a large pot of water, and after it boiled, he loosened an appropriate amount of rice noodles and put them into the pot, then quickly separated them with long chopsticks.

The cooking time for the rice noodles is extremely short, almost just a few dozen seconds after they are put into the pot. When the rice noodles become soft and can be easily broken with a fingernail, but still have a slightly firm core in the center (in the trade, this is called "having bone strength"), they are immediately taken out and put into the prepared cold boiled water with ice cubes to cool down.

This step instantly locks in the springy texture of the rice noodles, preventing them from becoming soft and mushy due to residual heat.

After cooling, drain the rice noodles, mix in a little cooked oil (to prevent sticking), and divide them into portions for later use.

then.

Wang Sheng cut the firm tofu he bought into small cubes and pan-fried them over low heat until golden brown on all six sides, creating a crispy exterior and tender interior.

Then, mix brown sugar, a little soy sauce, and water to make a simple sweet and salty sauce. Add the fried tofu cubes and simmer briefly until the sauce thickens, allowing the tofu to absorb the flavors.

This is the "brown sugar fried tofu cubes" he prepared.

He also prepared a small bowl of sweet and sour radish kimchi (quick version) seasoned with sugar, vinegar and a little salt, and a small bowl of roasted sesame powder.

His idea was...

Authentic Nanchang mixed rice noodles (spicy pork lard version) are the main dish.

At the same time, a "customer selection area" is provided - customers can choose to add or not add chili sauce, add minced meat, or add his special "brown sugar fried tofu cubes" and "sweet and sour radish pickles", or even sprinkle some sesame sugar powder to make their own "modified mixed rice noodles" with local Nanjing preferences, a salty and sweet flavor, and a rich taste.

This satisfies the needs of those who love spicy food, while also catering to local students who prefer sweet flavors or cannot tolerate spice, thus increasing the variety and fun.

Everything was ready, and the time was 6:20 a.m.

Wang Sheng opened the window and hung up the pre-written sign for the new product:

【Today’s new products】

Nanchang Mixed Rice Noodles (Basic Version): 3 yuan/serving

Secret Spicy Sauce/Minced Meat/Brown Sugar Tofu Cubes/Pork Cracklings: 0.5~1 RMB/item

Egg and meatloaf soup / Pure meatloaf soup: 3 yuan/bowl